France extends mandatory Covid tests for travellers arriving from China

France says it has extended until 15 February Covid tests for travellers arriving from China due to what has been called an "evolving situation."

Passengers arriving from China wait in front of a COVID-19 testing area set at the Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, north of Paris, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023. France says it will require negative COVID-19 tests of all passengers arriving from China and is urging French citizens to avoid nonessential travel to China. AP - Aurelien Morissard

The requirement for travellers coming to France from China to test for Covid had initially been put in place until 31 January.

However, since the start of the year, travellers aged over 11 arriving from China have had to present a negative test taken 48 hours before the flight to board the plane.

According to the French authorities, random testing will be carried out and anyone testing positive will have to self-isolate, adding that everyone above six years old would have to wear face masks on the plane.

Several countries had slapped fresh travel regulations on travellers from China after Beijing decided to relax strict virus restrictions.

Covid : les contrôles sanitaires imposés aux voyageurs chinois prolongés en France https://t.co/zczRRkjuJ5 pic.twitter.com/TbavhqzEa1

— L'Obs (@lobs) January 28, 2023

• France, Britain impose Covid tests on travellers from China
• France starts testing Chinese arrivals to track Covid-19 variants

End of zero-Covid policy

China has said that the number of daily Covid-19 deaths has fallen by nearly 80 percent since the start of the month.

A wave of virus cases has washed over the world's most populous nation since Beijing abruptly ended its zero-Covid policy last month.

Beijing's figures are believed to only represent a fraction of the true toll, given China's narrow definition of a Covid death and it is estimated that swathes of the population have been infected.